Myrtle Warren
Myrtle, more commonly known as Moaning Myrtle, was a Muggle-born witch who attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted into Ravenclaw house. She was killed in 1943 by Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk, under Tom Riddle's orders. Now, she is a ghost who haunts the second floor girl's bathroom (and occasionally other bathroom facilities) at Hogwarts. Biography Hogwarts years Myrtle was a witch born to a muggle mother and father, making her a Muggle-born. She started her education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry sometime around the 1940s. When she arrived at Hogwarts she was sorted into the house of Ravenclaw. While at Hogwarts she was unable to make any friends and would constantly be teased and bullied because of this, and her physical appearance by her fellow students. Opening of the Chamber of Secrets .]] In 1943, some time into Myrtle's education, the Chamber of Secrets was declared open for the first time. The Chamber of Secrets was a legendary chamber believed to have been built by Salazar Slytherin when he left Hogwarts and inside was believed to be a beast that only his heir could control. It was to be made out that Gryffindor student, Rubeus Hagrid had opened the chamber, but in fact it was Tom Marvolo Riddle, a Slytherin student. Hogwarts was soon under threat of facing closure as Muggle-born students were being mysteriously attacked by the mythical beast thought to be down inside the chamber. Death .]] On her final day of being alive Myrtle was teased by student Olive Hornby, she had made fun of Myrtle's glasses and as a result left Myrtle sobbing, Myrtle then ran into one of the bathroom's stalls, took off her glasses and started crying. Shortly after Myrtle had entered the bathroom, Riddle entered and started speaking in Parseltongue in order to open the Chamber of Secrets, which entrance was hidden behind the bathroom sinks. The Monster of Slytherin (a Basilisk) then emerged from the Chamber of Secret's entrance. Myrtle, still on one of the stalls, recognized the voice as being from a boy. Opening the stall's door, she yelled at Riddle to go away. On Riddle's command, the Basilisk stared at Myrtle, and her eyes met with the monster's. Looking at a Basilisk's eyes being a fatal act, Myrtle's body fell to the bathroom floor. Her death was the murder that Tom used to make his first Horcrux: the Diary. Post-Mortem Following her death Myrtle returned as a ghost so she could haunt student Olive Hornby in revenge for her teasing and insults. Olive recruited the help of the Ministry of Magic to exorcise Myrtle, who was there after obliged to remain at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Myrtle haunted the bathroom where she had died, and was seen outside it only in other toilet facilities. As a result of her haunting, her favourite lavatory was rarely used, and was thus available for clandestine activities such as illegal potion-brewing, as long as one did not mind the company. The true importance of Myrtle's bathroom was that it contained an entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, the home of the basilisk of Salazar Slytherin. In the 1992–1993 school year, the Chamber was opened again, fifty years after its previous opening, by a Gryffindor first-year, Ginny Weasley, who was possessed by the diary of the earlier opener, Tom Riddle. (The diary was a Horcrux, though it was described as a "memory" at the time.) Myrtle later flooded her bathroom in a fit of pique when Ginny tried to dispose of the diary by flushing it down one of Myrtle's toilets. Hermione Granger used Myrtle's bathroom in 1992 to brew Polyjuice Potion, which Harry Potter and Ron Weasley used to impersonate Slytherin students and Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe. Thus disguised, they entered the Slytherin common room to interrogate Draco Malfoy about the Chamber of Secrets. They learned only that, according to Draco's father Lucius Malfoy, the last time the chamber was open a Mudblood was killed.Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Harry and Ron later learned from Aragog the Acromantula that the murdered student had been killed in a bathroom, and Harry realized that the student must have been Myrtle. Myrtle was flattered by Harry's request that she tell the story of her death, the manner of which was one of the most important and interesting events of her short life. (It is possible that Harry was the first person to treat it as something worth asking about.) Myrtle remembered only having seen a pair of enormous eyes, but neither Harry nor Ron recognized this as a clue that the monster was a basilisk. Hermione had already deduced the monster's nature by library research before she was petrified, so Myrtle's clue was of no practical importance. During the 1994–1995 school year, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry hosted the Triwizard Tournament. Before the second task, the champions had to solve the mystery behind their Golden eggs, which, when opened, emitted a harsh screeching sound. The secret was that the noise became speech when heard underwater. One champion, Cedric Diggory, decided to meditate upon the clue in the Prefects' bathroom. Myrtle spied on Cedric in the tub, admitting to Harry that it took Cedric a long time to figure it out; nearly all the bubbles in the bath were gone by the time he cracked it. Cedric later suggested to Harry Potter that he take his egg the Prefects' bathroom. With Myrtle's hints, Harry was able to decipher the riddle.Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Myrtle also appeared to Harry whilst he was in the Black Lake, and pointed him in the right direction to find the village of the Merpeople, thereby helping him to reach the Tournament hostages before the other champions. That same year Myrtle briefly spotted some Polyjuice Potion in the drains and asked Harry if he had been doing any more illicit brewing, which he denied. Had Harry (or more likely, Hermione) investigated Myrtle's suspicions, it might have been discovered much earlier that Barty Crouch Jr. was impersonating Alastor Moody. In 1997 Draco Malfoy confided in Moaning Myrtle about his failed attempts to assassinate Albus Dumbledore.Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Myrtle comforted him, feeling that she understood him, though in fact his situation was nothing like hers. When Draco and Harry engaged in a violent duel, Myrtle, as usual, enjoyed the spectacle. The last time Myrtle was seen by Harry Potter was when she was ordered to leave the bathroom by Severus Snape. It is unknown whether she participated in The Battle of Hogwarts. Physical appearance Myrtle was a squat student with dark lank hair, pimples and thick glasses. She died in 1943 and became a Ghost, wearing her school uniform for eternity. Personality and traits Myrtle was constantly bullied during her education at Hogwarts for both her physical appearance and her personality. Myrtle hardly ever smiles and takes great offence at the smallest excuses, crying rivers of tears and wailing. She does however seem to warm to some male students, including Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. Myrtle also appears to be a desperate flirt, she constantly flirts with Harry Potter and shows her desperation to find love by spying on students such as Cedric Diggory whilst he bathed in the Prefects' bathroom, which required her to leave her stall which she usually would never do. Myrtle liked to take bubble baths when she was alive, due to "all those pretty bubbles"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Relationships Harry Potter During his education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry was nice to Myrtle, and she developed a crush on him. Whilst at Hogwarts Harry wasn't exactly known to stay out of life-threatening trouble, and Myrtle offered to share her toilet with Harry if the event of his death occurred. She also was more than happy to help Harry during his studies at Hogwarts, with any task, during his Second year she helped him solve the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets and in his Fourth year she helped him solve the mystery of the Triwizard Tournament's second task. During his fourth year Myrtle acted, to a level, sexually towards Harry whilst he bathed in the Prefects' bathroom, causing him to feel uncomfortable as he did not reciprocate her feelings of attraction. She does however act coldly sometimes towards Harry after he rarely ever visits her. Draco Malfoy Myrtle also got on well with Draco Malfoy, who in turn was Harry Potter's enemy whilst at Hogwarts. Despite Draco being prejudiced against Muggle-borns and constantly bullying and threatening Hermione Granger for being muggle-born, the two managed to become close as both needed company for comfort. They became friends whilst she comforted him during his Sixth year at Hogwarts; that year Draco had become a Death Eater and was feeling the strains of it as he was required to murder Albus Dumbledore. He shared his feelings and thoughts with Myrtle, who listened and comforted him. Also she seems to have taken preference of Draco to Harry as Harry never visits Myrtle when she asks him to. Olive Hornby Olive Hornby and Myrtle were very much enemies. Olive teased Myrtle about her glasses during school and constantly bullied her. When Myrtle was crying in the bathroom and then got killed by the basilisk, it was Olive who first saw her dead body. Myrtle wanted revenge on Olive so bad she stalked her where ever she went reminding her that it was her fault she was dead and how horrible she was. Myrtle even went so far to interrupt her brother's wedding, though that was enough for Olive who went to the Ministry of Magic who demanded Myrtle stay at Hogwarts. Myrtle claimed she didn't forget until her dying day. Peeves Both Peeves and Myrtle lived at the school and were known as bothersome. Although Myrtle did not like Peeves who took enjoyment in bothering her as he did to everyone. At Nearly Headless Nick's Death day party both Peeves and Myrtle attended, when Peeves heard Hermione Granger complaining about Myrtle he found it as the perfect time to cause trouble. Peeves called Myrtle over, Myrtle did not look happy to see him but Peeves informed her that Hermione was talking about her. Myrtle assuming she was talking behind her back ran off crying, Peeves seemed to enjoy her pain and began pelting her with peanuts. Myrtle later told Harry, Ron, and Hermione that Peeves made her so upset she wanted to kill herself but then of course she reminded herself that she's already dead. Ronald Weasley Ronald Weasley and Myrtle seemed to not have a very good relationship. Ron was very blunt to her in which she would usually get upset and start to cry. An example of this is when she tells them that someone threw a diary at her in which he reminds her it can't hurt her and she yells at him. Ron seemed to think Myrtle was weird but was scared of her when she stood up to him and punched through his stomach and head to prove her point. Ron also bugged her about keeping a secret for a guy (Draco Malfoy) claiming where would she take it to the grave or the sewers. Ron also made a comment saying Tonks was starting to look like Myrtle since Sirius died. This was probably not a complement to Tonks, as Myrtle always looked sad and angry. Hermione Granger It was shown that Myrtle did not like Hermione in the least. At Nearly Headless Nick's death day party, Hermione told Harry and Ron how horrible and whiny Myrtle was. Peeves who over heard this called Myrtle over. Peeves told Myrtle that Hermione was talking about her. Myrtle knew she must be talking about her meanly like most students did, Hermione however who never wanted to hurt Myrtle's feelings tried to tell Myrtle how she was only saying how pretty Myrtle was looking tonight. However Myrtle did not buy this and yelled at Hermione for lying to her and left the party crying. To brew the poly juice potion Hermione was in Myrtle's bathroom quite a lot as she knew nobody would want to go there because of Myrtle's presence, Myrtle seemed cold to Hermione probably because of Hermione talking bad about her at the death day party. Myrtle did take great enjoyment in Hermione being upset though (also probably because of her talking behind her back at the party) when Hermione's potion turned her into a cat, Myrtle teased and laughed at Hermione only making Hermione feel worse about her cat like appearance. Harry had never seen Myrtle happier than when she was teasing Hermione. Nearly Headless Nick It is unknown Mrtle's relationship with Nick, though it is known that he invited her to his Death day party. Nick probably invited her because either he liked her, felt bad for her or the fact that she is also a ghost and dead. Nick and Myrtle seem not to have the same point on death Nick who celebrates it and Myrtle who is highly offended and touchy about it although sometimes likes to talk about it. Etymology *''Myrtle'' is a type of evergreen shrub that is often overlooked because of its plainness, native to southern Europe and north Africa. *''Myrtle'' is a variety of the colour green. It is immoderately dark, slightly more so than the colour spinach. *It is possible she was named "Myrtle" to continue J.K. Rowling's tradition of naming characters after flowers. Behind the scenes *The myrtle tree is a close relative of the willow tree. "Moaning Myrtle" is a similar phrase to "weeping willow." Her name is also possibly related to the "Moaning Minnie," the British name for a German WWII artillery shell that made a distinctive moaning whine before it hit. *Moaning Myrtle was portrayed by Shirley Henderson in the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Being 5' 0½" (1.54 m) and 37 years old when she first played Moaning Myrtle, she is the oldest actor to play a teenage Hogwarts student in the Harry Potter films.Technically, graduate students such as Albus Dumbledore are still Hogwarts students, and played by actors older than Henderson. Myrtle, being dead and not actively studying, is neither an active student. Although she died in 1943 and must have been 60 to 68 years old when she first appeared in the novels, she stopped aging when she became a ghost, and thus she can arguably be considered a teenager. *The myrtle ("Myrtus") is a flowering plant of southern Europe and north Africa. In Greek mythology, it was sacred to Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, and to Demeter, goddess of grain and fertility; Pausanias relates it to the tragedy of Adonis. The Roman poet Virgil relates the myrtle to Venus and used them in wedding rituals, something that Jewish liturgy, which deemed it sacred, also used. Myrtle has also uses in Wiccan rituals, and was considered medicinal by the ancients, including Hippocrates, Pliny, Galen and Arabian writers.Myrtle at Wikipedia *Myrtle's surname is not known, as it has never been said in the canon. *In one scene of Chamber of Secrets, Ron jokingly suggests that Tom Riddle earned his Special Award for Services to the School for killing Myrtle; this foreshadows the fact that Riddle did indeed kill her. *Hermione says Moaning Myrtle haunts the bathroom on the first floor. However, when Harry sees the writing on the wall outside her bathroom, he is on the second floor. This may be attributed to the English/European manner of naming the Ground Floor as the one usually with the main entrance, and the First Floor as one floor up from the Ground Floor. *Myrtle is shown to have a crush on Harry throughout the series. In the Goblet of Fire film, the bathroom scene shows her acting sexually towards Harry. *Myrtle was also the first person to be killed by Lord Voldemort. *Shirley Henderson's first scene in the film Bridget Jones's Diary involves her character, Jude, crying in a womens' restroom. Appearances *''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'' *''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)'' *''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)'' *''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' *''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)'' *''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)'' *''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' *''Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4'' *''The Wizarding World of Harry Potter'' Notes and references fr:Mimi Geignarde ru:Плакса Миртл nl:Jammerende Jenny Category:Basilisk victims Category:British individuals Category:Deaths by creature Category:Females Category:Ghosts Category:Hogwarts students Category:Horcrux victims Category:Killed by Lord Voldemort Category:Muggle-borns Category:Murder victims Category:Non-graduate Hogwarts students Category:Ravenclaws Category:Wizards Category:1943 deaths